The Daily Bee: Adeyemi and Malen are BUZZING

I was not able to watch Borussia Dortmund’s curb stomping of VfL Wolfsburg yesterday, because I was busy watching my little brother graduate (So proud! Not that he reads these anyway), but boy did I miss a crazy game. It was a solid performance across the board, but it was highlighted once again by play from Dortmund’s two second-half breakout players: Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen.

I can’t remember the last time that two players looked more dead in the water in one half of a season and then did a complete 180 than these two lads. After combining a grand total of zero goals and two assists in the first half of the Bundesliga season, these two have now combined 14 goals and 7 assists in the second half.

Going back and watching the highlights from yesterday’s game, it’s clear that both wingers are firing on all cylinders, but Adeyemi especially has the potential to be a really special player. He’s always had the pace and the athleticism, but it seems like in this half of the season he’s been able to much more effectively put his skills together into a more complete player, and the results are becoming apparent. The fact that he can even translate that explosiveness into scoring on headers will only add another dimension to his game.

I’ve actually had a long-form article I’ve wanted to write for a while about Donyell Malen that I simply haven’t had the time to finish, but I’m really happy with how he’s turned his season around. He seems to be less obsessed with shooting in any position and is more willing to play off the ball and get into better spots where he can take higher-probability shots.

If Dortmund do end up winning the Bundesliga title, it will be in no small part due to these two turning their season around.

The Links

• Ain’t this the cutest thing!
• According to the Mirror, Daniel Levy has given Tottenham the greenlight to pursue Xabi Alonso, who has helped Bayer Leverkusen rejuvenate their season. Losing Xabi would be a massive blow to Die Werkself.

The Daily Buzz

With Malen and Adeyemi buzzing, do Dortmund need to prioritize another winger over the summer, or should they try to save money by only spending on an affordable depth signing?